Gentle Reader, I presume thou wilt be very inquisitive to know what antick or personate actor this is, that so insolently intrudes upon this common theatre, to the worlds view, arrogating another mans name, whence he is, why he doth it, and what he hath to say; Although, as he said, Primum si noluero, non respondebo, quis coacturus est? I am a free man born, and may chuse whether I will tell, who can compel me?

If I be urged, I will as readily reply as that Egyptian in Plutarch, when a curious fellow would needs know what he had in his basket, Quum vides velatam, quid inquiris in rem absconditam? It was therefore covered, because he should not know what was in it. Seek not after that which is hid, if the contents please thee, and be for thy use, suppose the Man in the Moon, or whom thou wilt to be the Author; I would not willingly be known. Yet in some sort to give thee satisfaction, which is more then I need, I will shew a reason, both of this usurped name, title, and subject.

And first of the name of Democritus; lest any man by reason of it, should be deceived, expecting a pasquil, a satyre, some ridiculous treatise (as I my self should have done) some prodigious tetent, or paradox of the earths motion, of infinite Worlds, in infinito vacuo, ex fortuita atomorum collisione, in an infinite waste, so caused by an accidental collision of Motes in the Sun, all which Democritus held, Epicurus and their Master Lucippus of old maintained, and are lately revived by Copernicus, Brunus, and some others.

Besides it hath been always an ordinary custom, as Gellius observes, for later Writers and impostors, to broach many absurd and insolent fictions, under the name of so noble a philosopher as Democritus, to get themselves credit, and by that means the more to be respected, as artificers usually do, Novo qui marmori ascribunt Praxatilem suo. Tis not so with me.

Non hic Centauros, non Gorgonas, Harpyasque Invenies, hominem pagina nostra sapit. No Centaures here, or Gorgons look to finde, My subject is of man, and humane kinde. Thou thy self art the subject of my discourse. Quicquid agunt homines, votum, timor, ira, voluptas, Gaudia, discursus, nostri farrago libelli. What ere men do, vows, fears, in ire, in sport, Joys, wandrings, are the sum of my report.

My intent is no otherwise to use his name, then Mercurius Gallobelgicus, Mercurius Britannicus, use the name of Mercurie, Democritus Christianus, &c. Although there be some other circumstances, for which I have masked my self under this visard, and some peculiar respects, which I cannot so well expresse, untill I have set down a brief character of this our Democritus, what he was, with an Epitome of his life.

Democritus, as he is described by Hippocrates and Laertius, was a little wearish old man, very melancholy by nature, averse from company in his latter daies, and much given to solitarinesse, a famous Philosopher in his age, coævus with Socrates, wholly addicted to his studies at the last, and to a private life, writ many excellent works, a great Divine, according to the divinity of those times, an expert Physitian, a Politician, an excellent Mathematician, as Diacosmus and the rest of his works do witnesse.

He was much delighted with the studies of Husbandry, saith Columella, and often I finde him cited by Constantinus and others treating of that subject. He knew the natures, differences of all beasts, plants, fishes, birds; and as some say, could understand the tunes and voyces of them. In a word, he was omnifariam doctus, a generall scholar, a great student; and to the intent he might better contemplate, I find it related by some, that he put out his eys, and was in his old age voluntarily blinde, yet saw more then all Greece besides, and writ of every subject, Nihil in toto opificio naturæ, de quo non scripsit.

A man of an excellent wit, profound conceit; and to attain knowledg the better in his yonger years, he travelled to Egypt and Athens, to confer with learned men, admired of some, despised of others. After a wandring life, he setled at Abdera, a town in Thrace, and was sent for thither to be their Law-maker, Recorder or town-clerk as some will; or as others, he was there bred and born. Howsoever it was, there he lived at last in a garden in the suburbs, wholy betaking himself to his studies, and a private life, saving that sometimes he would walk down to the haven, and laugh heartily at such variety of ridiculous objects, which there he saw. Such a one was Democritus.

But in the mean time, how doth this concern me, or upon what reference do I usurp his habit? I confesse indeed that to compare my self unto him for ought I have yet said, were both impudency and arrogancie. I do not presume to make any parallel, Antistat mihi millibus trecentis, parvus sum, nullus sum, altum nec spiro, nec spero. Yet thus much I wil say of my self, and that I hope without all suspition of pride, or self-conceit, I have lived a silent, sedentary, solitary, private life, mihi & musis, in the University as long almost as Xenocrates in Athens, ad senectam ferè, to learn wisdom as he did, penned up most part in my study.